Other Game Music

[Ken Hisuag]

Cuphead is probably the best example of jazz and big band as VGM done right. Even if it isn't, it's one of the few I'm familiar enough with at this time to post about. Honestly, though, there's some great music in this game, and that's coming from someone who isn't that into jazz.

Or at the very least someone who's resistant to the fact that they are into jazz.

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[speedcodes]

You know, for a theme related to a touhou character for a different game, Witches Ball ~ Magus does really well showing Marisa's touhou oriented origins. Good Job ZUN.

 

 

[Ken Hisuag]

Seihou's Witches' Ball is severely underrated, especially considering how overrated I sometimes feel Dichromatic Lotus Butterfly is. I personally prefer the .wav version over the SC-88Pro.

With all the references to Persona 5 during RC3, I felt it would be remiss of me not to feature it here. I will admit, however, that my experience with this soundtrack is very limited. In fact, I think these are the only three tracks I'm familiar with (except for Wake Up, Get Out There, but as far as I'm concerned it's too similar to Life Will Change).

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EDIT: Additional tracks were featured by another user in a subsequent post, which has since been deleted. However, the feature was noted in the record, so I am able to restore its contents (though not its comments).

I'm not seeing a "spoiler tab" option right now, so I'll make do with the "quote" function. In a way, it seems fitting.

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I recall this last one being contextualized as a joke of some sort, but as the recollection is a vague one, I'm not sure of the specifics.

 

 

Edited May 31 by Ken Hisuag

[Ken Hisuag]

As promised, I spent some time over the weekend listening to Deemo. I perceive that this is more a compilation of music than a proper soundtrack, and as such features a very wide variety of styles. There were quite a few vocals, and I did not enjoy any of them. Of the instrumentals, V.K definitely stood out from the rest. I might post some of his non-Deemo work in Amamiya's music thread later.

I was able to get through about half of the full soundtrack, which is spread across four album releases. From that, these are my highlight picks.

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EDIT: As with the Persona 5 feature, the same user posted a few more Deemo tracks. These two expansions were the subject of my comments the following week.

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Edited May 31 by Ken Hisuag

[Ken Hisuag]

Thank you for your expansions! In doing this weekly, there are times I feature a soundtrack I'm not actually that familiar with. So I will always appreciate someone who is more familiar with the soundtrack and/or source game providing a more experienced prospective.

I almost used Leviathan in place of Metal Hypnotized when putting the post together. Duo Blade Against didn't seem to be included in the four volume soundtrack release, and I'm unsure if it's unreleased or if there are more albums. Either way, I was very impressed by this piece, and hope I can find more on it later.

Wake Up, Get Out There is in SSBU? That seems almost insulting, but the representation is technically unaffected, so . . .
I haven't even touched the music for Scramble and Royal. Daredevil stands out in your selection; I'll probably be listening to that more in the future.

The soundtrack for Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent has finally been getting uploaded to Youtube. Octopath is my second favorite video game soundtrack of all time, just barely tailing the collective Touhou Project for my number one. I have been very hyped for the prequel's music, and it has not disappointed.

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At the time of this posting, I am aware of thirteen tracks. A couple of them are elaborate remixes of the previous game's themes,

others are fully unique to this entry in the series,

and while most of them are battle themes, there are a couple new area themes as well.

 

 

Edited May 31 by Ken Hisuag

[frankdrawsnear]

Risk of Rain 2 has a pretty good soundtrack, I really enjoy Chris Christodoulou's work

Here are my favorite tracks from RoR2

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The raindrop that fell to the sky

Risk of Rain 2

...con lentitud poderosa (Coalescence 2)

 

My favorite from Deadbolt, also by Chris Chris

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Now I am become Death

Heynong Man

Hemolysis

Defunktorum™

 

[Ken Hisuag]

FamilyJules has stated several times his admiration for the soundtrack of Paper Mario: The Origami King. My initial followup was unsuccessful in catching my interest, and the 244 video playlist was a bit too intimidating for me to devote the time to go through it all. I have finally come back to it, and by jumping around I feel I finally understand the appeal. I would liken this soundtrack to that of A Hat in Time or Little Town Hero, with its diverse styles and cheerful melodies punctuated by hard hitting battle themes. Given this, I couldn't decide on just three or four themes to represent the whole (and that without even listening to the whole thing), so just this once I'm posting six tracks.

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Edited November 18, 2020 by Ken Hisuag

[Ken Hisuag]

I'm a bit late, but UndertaleLIVE is streaming on Twitch right now if anyone's interested.

https://www.twitch.tv/undertalelive

The album is also available on Bandcamp.

https://undertalelive.bandcamp.com/album/undertale-live

[Ken Hisuag]

I had intended to do Genshin Impact this week, but I ran out of time to properly listen through the OST. So instead I'll use Undertale Yellow. Despite being a WIP fangame, the compositions are very impressive.

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[Maden]

Here's some Ragnarok Online
I spontaneously remembered that disco sounding lighthalzen field theme for some reason

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[Ken Hisuag]

There is so much to unpack about the Genshin Impact soundtrack. I detect elements of James Horner and Harry Gregson-Williams, while also being strongly reminded of Little Town Hero and Hollow Knight, and just a little of John Williams and Gareth Croker. But none of those comparisons fit quite right; some aspect of this remains unique to itself. It's still standard RPG music, but with a storybook feel blended with the epic fantasy. Or is it more classical in nature? I honestly can't decide.

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Also, good to see ya, Maden! I read the title of the video before your description, and I was not expecting disco jazz from a game called Ragnarok. It's really good, though!

Edited December 2, 2020 by Ken Hisuag

[Ken Hisuag]

I came across the GotY nominations earlier, and it got me thinking about what my personal favorite OSTs of this year were. Would anyone like to share their own top VGM of 2020?

Mine would be The Pedestrian. I already posted my favorite tracks when it came out, but this one is good, too.

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[Drunken_Flower]

Played Human: Fall Flat lately
a silly game
an amazing game
with great music.
makes me feel smart for doing small stuffs. it's like i discovered something revolutional.

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Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIjPUgWn2kINgbcEkMv6HlZ2u9qhRfdAz

 

the game kinda nauseating because i have tendency to look up a lot
but that doesn't stop me playing it

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Humans, they will run into every door they encounter.
They will push every button they see.
They will reach high and then low to achieve their goals.
And grab opportunities with both of their hands.

Yet they can’t fly... and never will.

 

[Ken Hisuag]

Huh. I'd never considered Human Fall Flat for its music before, but this is quite the piece. It instills a balance of the thoughtful ambience the gameplay demands with a sense of climatic accomplishment. I'll have to look into this.

Ironically, I had already chosen to feature Fall Guys this week. I'm hoping enough time has passed that it won't seem trendy, because I truly believe the music deserves to be considered in its own right.

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There aren't that many tracks, but they all feature an unusual choice of instruments in a deceitfully cutesy style that disguises some very well composed melodies. I was not impressed by the game's concept, but I'm hoping there will be more in the way of music from it.

[buskerdog]

Since Ken has been posting so much chiptune recently, here's some Monster Hunter chiptune remixes by Falkkone for him. (Bet ya didn't know he did chiptune, huh? Although, he only made a few of these.)

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[Renko]

Here's a piece from one of my favourite games, YUME NIKKI. The "music" is actually just around 2-3 seconds looped over and over, but still gives a sad(?) tune. 

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[Ken Hisuag]

I did not know Falkkone did chiptune, and it's a pity he doesn't do more because these are really good!

I'm glad someone else posted Yume Nikki. I dislike the game myself, but I can understand the endearment it has with others.

This Friday marks the two-year anniversary of this thread. In commemoration (actually I'm just using this as an excuse), I'm returning to the first game posted on the thread: A Hat in Time. I don't know what piece specifically was originally posted, and I intentionally avoided the most popular tracks in my initial post (with the exception of Rush Hour), so I've got plenty of material to work with.

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This last one is technically an in-game remix, but it's done by the composer and about equally popular:

 

This is still one of the most diverse soundtracks I have ever come across, and still one of my all-time favorites.

[Renko]

Miseki Iyada, the final boss of the (not made) fangame "Respledent Patchwork." I love her theme, so I thought I'd share it.

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[Maribel]

Guardian Tales music is pretty good, especially the 21 Kanterbury Street music.  Here's a theme in a playlist of all Guardian Tales themes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8dEe8zyqwo&list=PLuyy7onehRKY6ro2nW65PsFHc3dZJfB3S&index=2 

 

[Ken Hisuag]

I'm late!

I really wanted to [finally] feature Okami properly, which isn't easy to set up because the OST is massive and full of seven second jingles. Plus Christmas preparations have taken up my time, so I've only managed to listen through the first disc of the soundtrack. I'm still considering it a win, and now I have a good excuse to revisit it later.

What makes Okami unique is its incorporation of traditional Japanese folk instruments and music. One might be inclined to assume this limits the stylistic range of the soundtrack, but this is far from the case. As such, I consider it one of the best examples of the genre.

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Here's one of those really short pieces:

This one exists as two separate tracks in the OST, but the first flows into the second without any transition, so they're basically a single piece:

I'm featuring this one to showcase some of the range this soundtrack has:

This last one reminds me of Gato's Song from Chrono Trigger:

 

Also the only reason I'm not using Spirit Extermination is because it's already on the thread (and is in fact how I became aware of this soundtrack in the first place). It is hands down the best track on the first disc.

Edited December 24, 2020 by Ken Hisuag

[Renko]

Haven't really been active this week, you might of seen this, but here's the Fan-made character Mitori Kawashiros theme.

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[Ken Hisuag]

For future reference: Touhou-related music (theme remixes, style remixes, and original themes) should be posted in one of the threads dedicated to it to avoid confusion.

For the record, I have posted Touhou-related music in this thread.

[Ken Hisuag]

I was trying to determine what my personal top five soundtracks of the year would be, and could only think of four that had really stuck in my mind impactfully (discounting DLC soundtracks for games released in years previous, such as Cadence of Hyrule). So I sat down to quickly look through a bunch of OSTs that I'd been putting off to see if anything stood out.

To address the obvious: I can appreciate Darren Korb's work on a technical level, but it does not immediately appeal to me for casual listening. I've come to enjoy Transistor, but it is an enjoyment that was developed over time. I believe a large part of this is the strong bond his compositions have with their situational context, i.e. the game. I was not able to appreciate the music from Ori and the Blind Forest until I'd experienced it as part of the whole product, and I suspect it will be the same with Will of the Wisps. Having never experienced any of Supergiant's products, there is (or may be) a vital component missing to my understanding its merits beyond the technical. Doom Eternal, on the other hand, was something I fully expected to dislike for its emphasis on adrenaline-fueled metal. I was mistaken, however; the tracks carried a progression that I could fully enjoy getting swept up in, and I even experienced a nice nostalgic effect from the style's similarities to a certain old RTS I used to play.

With all that being said, it was actually a quietly released metroidvania that I had intentionally ignored that now caught my attention. Batbarian: Testimony of the Primoridals has a surprisingly good soundtrack which bounces between disco and rock in a way that reminds me of Castlevania and Crypt of the Necrodancer.

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I doubt my currently high admiration for this soundtrack will last through my eventual reconciliation with Will of the Wisps, but for now it will fill my number five spot.

 

[Ken Hisuag]

With that, the year is on the verge of conclusion. In commemoration, these are my personal top five video game OSTs of 2020.

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#5: Batbarian: Testimony of the Primordials

#4: Dweller's Empty Path

#3: Paper Mario: The Origami King

#2: Genshin Impact

#1: The Pedestrian

 

For the record, I haven't played any of these; my experience with them is almost entirely musical. If anyone's willing, I'd love to hear what soundtracks stood out to others this year.

For reference sake, I'm also including a record of the postings made on this thread over the past year (plus the time previous, since there wasn't much). As of initial posting, it only includes the tracks which are currently available; some links are broken, and as such I can't determine what they were. This is partially why I'm creating a reference record now, in hopes that I can accurately maintain this thread as a catalog (of sorts) of VGM.

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Featured games, in order of posting:

A Hat in Time – Scootin’ Through Mafia Town, A Forsaken Place, The Lava Cake Peak, Rush Hour, Mafia Town is Asleep, Your Contract Has Expired, Bon Voyage!, Main Theme, Trainwreck of Electro Swing

Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse – Boss Battle

Persona 3 – Memories of You

Persona 4 – Awakening

Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness – Full OST

Diablo – Full OST

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Full OST

The Elder Scrolls: Arena – Low-res soundtrack selection

Clock Tower – Don’t Cry, Jennifer

Halo 2 - Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix

Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven – Town Exploring 1, Town Exploring 3

Kirby Triple Star Deluxe – Moonstruck Blossom

Kirby’s Epic Yarn – Vs. King Dedede

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island – Athletic Theme

Donkey King Country – Jungle Groove, Fear Factory, Life in the Mines

Danganronpa – Discussion ~HEAT UP~

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Pursuit ~ Cornered, Maya Fey ~ Turnabout Sisters' Theme

Deus Ex – The Synapse

The Messenger – Impossible Ascent (Searing Crags), Manfred the Sky Serpent

Okami – Spirit Extermination, Reset ~Thank You ~, Constellation (Dragon Sketch), Kamiki Village 1, Kamiki Village 2, Giving Susano a Ride, Tamaya’s Theme

Silver Surfer – Level 1

Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge – Gambit

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future – Aquamarine Bay

The Blue Marlin – Cape Canaveral

Return of the Obra Dinn – Title Medley

The Pedestrian – Means to an End, Rush Hour, Lost in the City, Czar Louie's Reigna, Clocking In

Hue – Breakthrough, Droplets, With Compliments

Chrono Trigger – Grand Millennial Fair, Wind Scene

Octopath Traveler – “Flamesgrace, Guiding Light”, A Settlement in the Red Bluffs, Battle II

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove – High Above the Land (Flying Machine), The Final Note, Tools of War (Clockwork Tower), The Royal Overture

Ori and the Blind Forest – “Restoring the Light, Facing the Dark”

Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations – Godot ~ The Fragrance of Black Coffee

Gundam Wing: Endless Duel – City

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle – Must Die

Wild 9 – Bombopolis

Undertale – Snowdin Town, Undertale, “Bring it in, Guys!”

Cave Story – Mimiga Town, Cave Story/Plantation

Azur Lane – “Yuudachi”?

Duck Life 4 – Swimming Training Theme

War Thunder – “Don’t Hurry”

Catherine – Little Fugue in G Minor

Celeste – First Steps, Beyond the Heart

Hollow Knight – Greenpath, City of Tears

Minecraft – Pigstep, Sweden, Minecraft

Sea of Stars – Encounter, Through the Jungle (Day into Night)

Ristar: The Shooting Star – Shooting Ristar, Break Silence, Du-Di-Da!!

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood – Divine Bloodlines

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Vampire Killer

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness – A Toccata into Blood-Soaked Darkness

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night – A Voyage of Promise

Soul Nomad and the World Eaters – Love Letters, Dragon’s Eye

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – From Past to Present, Frostfall, Caught Off Guard, The Streets of Whiterun

Beyond Skyrim – The Three Kingdoms

Little Town Hero – Village Clash, This is My Town (Farm), A Place You Can Call Home

Bastion – A Proper Story

Transistor – Heightmap (Hummed)

Moss – Legends Old and New, Cinder Skies

Rend – The Roots of Yggdrasil, Highlands II, Resurgence

Cathedral – An Unfamiliar Place (Cathedral Rooftops), Ivystone Mage Collective, Gentleman's Jive (The Necromancer)

ARMS – Grand Prix, Ribbon Ring, Ramen Bowl

Monster Hunter 2 – Ancestral Dragon ~ White Fatalis

Monster Hunter XX – The Awe-Inspiring Brave Figure, Bewitching Dance ~ Tamamitsune, Silver Winged Scarlet Star ~ Valfalk

Monster Hunter World – Stars at Our Backs, Red Afterglow Running in the Darkness (Iceborne Ver.), Fearless Indigo (Iceborne Ver.), Scorching Blade ~ Dinovalde (Iceborne Ver.)

Monster Hunter 4 – Title Theme

Monster Hunter 3 (tri) – Title Theme

Monster Hunter Portable 3^rd – Sparkling Blue Light ~ Zinogre

CrossCode – Title Theme, Path of Justice, Autumn’s Fall, Arena Lobby

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game – Scott Pilgrim Anthem, Another Winter, The Dark One, Twin Dragons

I Am Setsuna – The Scent of Sea, No Turning Back, The Winter Breeze

Dweller’s Empty Path – Leaves Fill the Empty Path, Inside the Castle, Be Brave!, Trailer Theme

Pokemon Sword & Shield – Sonia’s Theme, Wild Area: North, Marnie’s Theme, Battle! Oleana, Battle! Battle Tower

Sonic Mania – Who's the Boss?, Chemical Plant Zone Act 1, “Lights, Camera, Action!”

Final Fantasy XII – Kiss Me Good-bye

OneShot – My Burden is Light, Alula, Eleventh Hour, Happily Ever After

Junkbot – BGM 5, BGM 1

Crypt of the Necrodancer – Disco Descent (1-1), Dance of the Decorous (3-2 Cold), Deep Sea Bass (Coral Riff), Portabellohead (2-3 Girlfriend Records Remix), The Wight to Remain (4-3 Chipzel Remix), Power Cords (5-2 A_Rival Remix), Last VERSUS (1-1 Danganronpa), Crypteque (1-2 w/ Shopkeeper), March of the Profane (3-2 w/ Shopkeeper), Styx and Stones (4-1 w/ Shopkeeper), Grave Throbbing (2-2 w/ Daoust)

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the Necrodancer feat. The Legend of Zelda – Gerudo Desert (Peaceful), Overworld (Peaceful w/ Shopkeeper), Temple of Storms (Combat w/ Glockenspiel), Deku Village

Night in the Woods – The Fort Lucenne Mall, Astral Train, Possum Springs, Title Theme

Rabi-Ribi – Opening, Rabi Rabi Ravine V.1, Exotic Laboratory, The Truth Never Spoken

Cuphead – Inkwell Isle One, Threatin’ Zeppelin, All Bets are Off, Floral Fury

Persona 5 – Life Will Change, Swear to My Bones, Last Surprise, No More What-Ifs, I Believe, Axe to Grind, Daredevil, That Guy Is Trick ☆ Star

Deemo – Reflection (Mirror Night), Saika, Walking by the Sea, Metal Hypnotized, Entrance, Leviathan, Duo Blade Against

Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent – Battle 1 ~ Champions of the Continent Arena ver., Master of Power, Castle Edolas

Risk of Rain 2 – The Raindrop that Fell to the Sky, Title Theme, …con lentitud ponderosa

Deadbolt – Now I am Become Death, Heynong Man, Hemolysis, Defunktorum™

Paper Mario: The Origami King – Vellumental Battle, Water Vellumental Shrine, Autumn Mountain Battle, The Great Sea, The Shifty Sticker, Musee Champignon, Title Screen

Undertale Yellow – Justice, Fever Pitch!, Mo Money

Ragnarok Online – CheongChoon

Genshin Impact – Caelestinum Finale Termini, Bustling Afternoon in Mondstadt, Happy Journey, Rite of Battle, Main Theme

Human: Fall Flat – Unknown

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout – Everybody Falls, Fall ‘N’ Roll

Yume Nikki – The End

Guardian Tales – Full series soundtrack?

Batbarian – Polyandrium, Sing Ye of Darkness Past, Brutal March, Batbarian

 

Additional non-soundtrack (/technicality) posts:

Phoenix Wright Jazz ~ Gyakuten Meets Jazz Soul – Full album

Phoenix Wright Orchestra ~ Gyakuten Meets Orchestra – Full album

The Messenger 8+16 Bit – A Civilization in the Clouds (Cloud Ruins)

Resurrected Memories – No Turning Back Orchestrated - from I am Setsuna

Chrono Cinematica – Little Green Hero

Orb – A Mind too Demented for Eating

Diamond Hollow II – Handheld Hero

Celeste – …

Castlevania: Bloodlines PCM Remaster – Iron Blue Intentions

Sonic Mania – Friends

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Kass’s Theme

Undertale 5^th Anniversary Virtual Concert – Full event

Revibed of the Necrodancer – Igneous Rock (3-1 Hot Remix)

Crypt of the Necrodancer: KeyAnimated – Heart of the Crypt (4-2 Remix)

Crypt of the Necrodancer: True Chiptunes – Grave Throbbing (2-2 Remix)

Necrodancer TripleMix – Voltzwaltz (5-1 TripleMix)

Cadence of Hyrule: Real Voice Shopkeeper – Lost Swamp w/ Daoust

Undertale LIVE – Full album

Intense Symphonic Metal Covers: Hunting Edition, Vol. 1 – Zinogre Theme (8-bit), Gore Magala (8-bit)

Note that some of the broken links are mine, and I intend to fix them. When I do, and if any of the other broken links are fixed, I'll try to update this list to reflect the new availability. New posts will be cataloged for next year (assuming we all last that long).

Edited May 31 by Ken Hisuag

[Ken Hisuag]

It's about time we covered Rivals of Aether. I probably don't need to sell it, but . . .

Composer flashygoodness has a unique style to his chiptune that settles on the fringes of the genre; he's able to create impressively complex arrangements of sound that set them apart from retro style, but aren't so far from it that it has to be considered something else (Undertale might be a good example of that; maybe CrossCode?). There's also a slight reverb that gives his pieces an airy feel; I'm unsure of the intended effect, but for me it adds another layer of complexity to the sound.

Spoiler

Yea I tend toward the more straight-forward motifs, what of it?

As a sort of bonus, I'm linking the main menu theme. It's not so much for the music, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpuy_uKMroE

If you can't figure it out, sort the comments by new and start from the bottom.